Japan’s Tokyo Shimbun newspaper reports the news made official by the Tokyo Marathon organization: due to concerns about the possible contagion and spread of coronavirus and to contain its spread, the 2020 Tokyo Marathon has been officially cancelled for the general public. It must be specified that it will take place equally but only for elite athletes and wheelchair participants.
The measure was expected due to its proximity to China, the epicenter of the virus’ spread, and the fact that Japan is the 4th country in the world with the most cases of infection to date, albeit in very small numbers.
It is still too early to tell whether such a measure-which for now affects the more than 30000 runners set to run through the streets of the Japanese capital next March 1-predicts similar measures for the upcoming Tokyo Olympics. Developments in the epidemic are constantly evolving and, according to the New York Times, a vaccine will not arrive for 12 months.
The decision of the Tokyo Marathon committee can certainly be supported and is motivated by the need to protect the health of runners and the general population. This is an exceptional case that calls for equally exceptional measures that ultimately involve even those who want to participate in a beloved sporting event such as a marathon.